Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of pet enclosures attached to a dwelling in general, and in particular to a pet enclosure having a retractable access tunnel.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,224,899; 4,291,645; 4,788,934; 4,995,336 and 5,946,855, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse pet enclosures having direct access to a dwelling.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical pet enclosure having a pivoted access tunnel associated with a conventional pet door portal.
As most pet owners in general, and cat owners in particular are aware, most pets prefer to have a designated sleeping and eating area that is somewhat segregated or isolated from the rest of the domicile.
In addition, particularly in the case of felines, the owners in most instances find the odor from litter boxes to be extremely disagreeable and preferably isolated from those areas that are frequented by the resident of the dwelling.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need among cat owners in particular for a new and improved pet enclosure that can be situated at a remote location relative to a dwelling yet directly connected to the dwelling via a moveable access tunnel; and, the provision of such an arrangement is the stated objective of the present invention.
Briefly stated, the pet enclosure that forms the basis of the present invention comprises in general a main enclosure unit, an access tunnel unit and a pivot mechanism operatively connected between the access tunnel unit and a door disposed adjacent the pet enclosure to rotate the access tunnel unit into a closed position to prevent a pet from escaping from the enclosure unit when the door is opened.
As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the enclosure unit is positioned near an inwardly swinging door equipped with a pet portal such that one of the side panels of the enclosure unit will have an access opening located adjacent the door.
In addition, an access tunnel unit including an open ended housing member is slidably received in the access opening and mounted for pivotal movement relative to the enclosure unit via the pivot mechanism; such that one end of the housing member is adapted to engage the pet portal when the door is in the fully open position, and the other end of the housing member is adapted to engage the interior of the enclosure unit to prevent the pet from escaping from the enclosure unit when the door is in the fully open position.